Requesting a Holiday from Life
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: M&MWP, drabble. Her mind's in one place, her body in two, her heart in three. Hermione struggles to keep herself together, and Lysander doesn't help that. Mention if used, thx. *inspired by "Complete Bliss and Indescribable Happiness" by xakemii*


**Requesting a Holiday from Life**

A HariPo drabble

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The _Harry Potter_ characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not me. **This pairing was discovered by me, so please gimme a little mention if you write them**! **Thanks**! It is one of many of **Mew and Mor's Weird Pairings**, most of which you may find in the **M&MWP forum. **Check out and join the forum FUN! Read, review, and enjoy! *Note: This is a companion/sequel fic to [well, it's at least inspired by] **xakemii**'s "Complete Bliss and Indescribable Happiness," a Lorcan/Hermione drabble that's awesome. Go read it! :D

- ^-^3

There are several places in her life.

First, there is home. It's not much of a home anymore, she muses. Her children are long since grown and Ron's there and yet not there. But that's her home. It's where she nurtured her marriage and created a family and it's the place she returns to at the end of every workday. She can never escape it, she feels, because it's always there. Unless it's suddenly demolished, it will always serve as a reminder how her life's "supposed" to be.

Second, there is her bed. Not Ron's bed, not "their" bed, just _her_ bed. Once upon a time, she shared it with Ron, sure—lucky for Rose and Hugo that she did. But recently (is eight months considered recent?), it's been just her sleeping in it…no, that's not entirely true. She's been sharing it, all right, but with Lorcan Scamander, a man almost half her age. Her body convinces her she's got needs every time and that there's no helping it. Lorcan is a passionate yet caring lover, and he seems not to want to let her feel bad about what they do behind her closed bedroom door. And she can't deny him, because that'd be denying her physical attraction, and Hermione's not the best liar when it concerns those closest to her.

Third, there is the outside world. It sounds silly, but it's come to have special meaning to her. Outside, Hermione forgets about her closed off magical world and remembers how much there is outside of the Weasley–Potter family and Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic and—and— She feels grounded. Her logical brain can breathe easier out in the rest of the world, the world that isn't absorbed in magic. Besides, in the outside world, she finds Lysander Scamander. Yes, he might be Lorcan's twin, but the two men aren't the same. Where Lorcan is sharp-witted and quick with a response, Lysander is careful and scarily considerate. Where Lorcan looks to steal Hermione's breath from her, Lysander wishes to comfort her and hold her heart in his thin hands. Where Lorcan tells her that there are no strings attached, Lysander smiles sadly at her and believes that there's one string, a string connecting his pinky to hers, a string tying them together, even though Hermione thought her pinky was tied to Ron's. At least neither Lorcan nor Lysander dare to say they "love" her, because that word has been suffocating Hermione's logical self for a while now.

Fourth, there is her office. Yes, any of her family can come in unannounced, but most of the time she finds she's got the place to herself, and it's the only place where she can turn off her hormones and forget that her conscience is telling her not to hurt Ron, that her body reacts to Lorcan yet always seeks to sit and chat with Lysander, and that her girlish heart belongs with Ron, her feisty teen heart desires Lorcan, and her old soul wants the comfort of Lysander's love.

Hermione pauses in her work, the parchment falling from her hands. No, she mustn't think that. She _can't_. Because once she starts using _that word_, everything will be ruined. That would make too much out of—of—of so little and Hermione likes order and this would create chaos and—

With a shaky hand, Hermione puts her work aside, ready to head home.

Then she stops and recalls Lorcan is supposed to meet her in a little while…

Ultimately, she finds Lysander at a little café in the outside world.

He nods to her and pulls out a chair for her to join him. Of all the things he could talk about, he avoids his favorite subject—magical creatures—because he also treasures his time in the outside world with Hermione, and he likes to escape magic sometimes, too.

And as she loses herself in a conversation regarding carbonated drinks (the most mundane of the mundane), Hermione begins to wonder what her options are…or if there is even any choice at all.

- ^-^3

**Conflicted much? X0 I'm as confused as 'Mione is… I can't decide with whom I want her to end up! D8 Well, Ron's out of the running, as far as I'm concerned. ;P Ah, well. Rambly, but I'm, like, half-awake writing this… -.-**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

**-mew-tsubaki :']**


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